Russian industrial sites vulnerable to drone strikes due to Soviet-era design

Alexander Shokhin, head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, has acknowledged that the vast scale of Russia's industrial complexes makes them difficult to defend against aerial attacks.

This vulnerability stems from Soviet-era urban planning, where industrial sites—including metallurgical plants, chemical factories, and refineries—were intentionally spread across massive areas to ensure that a single nuclear strike could not destroy an entire facility. While this dispersion was a strategic advantage during the Cold War, it now complicates modern air defense efforts against long-range Ukrainian drones.

Reports indicate that Russian air defense systems, primarily designed to intercept aircraft and missiles, struggle to economically and effectively protect such expansive territories from large numbers of low-flying, inexpensive unmanned aerial vehicles. In the first half of 2026, Ukrainian special operations reportedly struck nearly 700 targets on Russian territory, with a significant increase in strikes deep within the country. Recent incidents include attacks on oil refineries and infrastructure in the Leningrad region.